Date Palm

Date palm, (Phoenix dactylifera), tree of the palm family (Arecaceae) is cultivated for its sweet edible fruits. Over the past century, it has become a major commercial fruit crop and a key component of agricultural production in the world's subtropical arid and semiarid regions. A crop suited both to the low-input small farmer and the modern high-input commercial plantation, the date palm provides livelihood to millions of people living in marginal land areas where farming options are restricted. Date palm is mainly grown for its fruits, but the whole tree is utilized. Research into date palm improvement for fruit production in recent decades has brought about improved elite cultivars, stress and pathogen resistance, and enhanced postharvest technologies. These developments have led to revised recommendations for date palm producers, and increased opportunity to promote novel fruit products. This book provides: A practical manual on modern date palm cultivation Best practices for optimal fruit production levels of high-quality fruit Opportunities for more complete utilization of the multitude of products the date palm can provide at both the subsistence and commercial level of production.